Stockwinners Market Radar for September 27, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:29 EDT Eisai, Biogen announce rolling FDA submission for lecanemab in early AD patients - Eisai (ESALY) and Biogen (BIIB) announced that Eisai has initiated a rolling submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA of a Biologics License Application for lecanemab, or BAN2401, the company's investigational anti-amyloid beta protofibril antibody, for the treatment of early Alzheimer's disease. The BLA is being submitted under the accelerated approval pathway and is primarily based on clinical, biomarker and safety data from the Phase 2b clinical trial in people with early AD and confirmed amyloid pathology. The lecanemab Phase 2b trial results demonstrated a high degree of Abeta plaque lowering and consistent reduction of clinical decline across several clinical endpoints. The correlation between the extent of Abeta plaque reduction and effect on clinical endpoints in Study 201 further supports Abeta as a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit. In June 2021, lecanemab was granted Breakthrough Therapy designation, which is an FDA program intended to expedite the development and review of medicines for serious or life threating conditions. Eisai has an agreement with the FDA to submit the BLA for lecanemab as a rolling submission. This agreement allows completed portions of the application to be submitted to the FDA for review on an ongoing basis.

19:04 EDT Activision Blizzard reaches agreement with EEOC to settle discrimination claims - Activision Blizzard confirmed that, as part of its effort to have the most welcoming, inclusive workplace, it has reached an agreement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to settle claims and to further strengthen policies and programs to prevent harassment and discrimination in the company's workplace. Under the agreement, the principal terms of which are summarized in Attachment A to this press release, Activision Blizzard has committed to create an $18M fund to compensate and make amends to eligible claimants. Any amounts not used for claimants will be divided between charities that advance women in the video game industry or promote awareness around harassment and gender equality issues as well as company diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, as approved by the EEOC. The agreement is subject to court approval. The company also announced an initiative to develop software tools and training programs to improve workplace policies and practices for employers across the technology industry. Commenting on the agreement, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said: "There is no place anywhere at our company for discrimination, harassment, or unequal treatment of any kind, and I am grateful to the employees who bravely shared their experiences. I am sorry that anyone had to experience inappropriate conduct, and I remain unwavering in my commitment to make Activision Blizzard one of the world's most inclusive, respected, and respectful workplaces." Kotick added: "We will continue to be vigilant in our commitment to the elimination of harassment and discrimination in the workplace. We thank the EEOC for its constructive engagement as we work to fulfill our commitments to eradicate inappropriate conduct in the workplace."

18:42 EDT Huntsman discloses 8.4% activist stake by Starboard Value - In a regulator 13D fling, Starboard Value disclosed a 8.4% activist stake in Huntsman, which represents over 18.6M shares. The filing does allow for activism.

18:12 EDT SPDR Gold Shares holdings fall from 993.52MT to 990.32MT - This is the lowest level of holdings since April of 2020.

17:26 EDT Rolls-Royce awarded $105.6M Navy contract modification - Rolls-Royce was awarded a $105.6M modification to a previously awarded, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery requirements contract. This modification increases scope and provides intermediate and depot level maintenance, logistics and engineering support for 216 in-service T-45 F405-RR-401 Adour engines. Work is expected to be completed in March 2022. No funds will be obligated at time of award; funds will be issued against individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:22 EDT Bell Boeing was awarded $214.39M Navy fee order - Bell Boeing was awarded a $214.39M cost-plus-incentive-fee order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement. This order provides for the redesign and development of the V-22 Flight Control System, to include the flight control computer, cockpit interface unit and associated test equipment due to functional obsolescence, cybersecurity initiatives, and diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages. Work is expected to be completed in June 2026. FY21 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $26.97M and FY21 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $3.92M will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:18 EDT Boeing awarded $3.46B Air Force contract - Boeing has been awarded a $3.46B firm-fixed-price, fixed-price incentive, cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursement-no fee and time-and-material, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the C-17 Globemaster III Sustainment Program. The period of performance is nine years and eight months, consisting of three 12-month ordering periods, two 37-month options, and the six-month option to extend services, for a total maximum value of $23.76B.This contract will provide support and sustainment services to the government product support manager/product support integrator for the C-17 weapon system. Support includes, but is not limited to: program management; sustaining logistics; material and equipment management; sustaining engineering; quality assurance; depot level aircraft maintenance and modifications; F117 propulsion system management; long-term sustainment planning; field services, unique foreign military customer services and Air Logistics Center partnering support for the worldwide fleet of the C-17 aircraft. Work will be performed in multiple domestic and international locations and is expected to be completed by May 30, 2031, if all options are exercised. The contract involves Foreign Military Sales, or FMS, to the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, NATO Airlift Management Program Office, India, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Qatar. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. No-year FMS funds in the amount of $5M are being obligated at the time of award. There is known congressional interest pertaining to this acquisition. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center is the contracting activity.

17:06 EDT Alaska Air delivers one new Boeing 737-9 aircraft to Alaska Airlines - Air Lease (AL) "announced the delivery of one new Boeing 737-9 aircraft on long-term lease to Alaska Airlines (ALK). Featuring CFM International LEAP -1B engines, this is the first of 13 new 737-9 aircraft confirmed to deliver to the airline as announced in November 2020 from ALC's orderbook with Boeing. This new 737-9 from ALC joins six 737-9s currently flying in Alaska Airlines' fleet."

17:00 EDT Adobe CEO sells $24.8M in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Adobe disclosed that its CEO Shantanu Narayen sold 40K shares of common stock on September 24th in a total transaction size of $24.8M, reducing his stake by about 11%.

16:55 EDT Scientific Games trading resumes

16:54 EDT Huntsman jumps about 4% following WSJ report on Starboard stake - Shares of Huntsman are up just over 4% at $29.21 per share after The Wall Street Journal reported that Starboard has accumulated a stake of over 8%.

16:36 EDT Maverix Metals to acquire gold stream from Aurament in deal valued at $50M - Maverix Metals announced it has reached an agreement with Auramet Capital Partners, L.P., an affiliate of Auramet International LLC, to acquire a gold stream and enter a long-term strategic partnership. Maverix will make a cash payment equal to $50M to acquire a gold stream that will deliver 5,000 ounces of gold to Maverix per year. The gold stream shall be delivered quarterly and Maverix will make ongoing cash payments equal to 16% of the spot gold price for each gold ounce delivered. After a total of 50,000 ounces of gold have been delivered to the stream, Auramet shall have the option to terminate the stream for a cash payment of $5M less certain cash flows related to the stream. The stream is structured in Canada and has certain security provisions. In addition to the gold stream, Maverix will be entitled to receive an amount in gold that is equivalent to all dividends distributed by Auramet on 2% of its shares outstanding, which is done semi-annually. In fiscal year 2020, Auramet paid out $35M in dividends to its shareholders. Auramet expects to use the proceeds of the transaction to make further investments in the mining sector, including acquiring small royalties and streams, as well as for general corporate purposes. For the duration of the gold stream, Maverix will have a right of first refusal to purchase any royalties or streams that Auramet decides to sell from their current portfolio or acquires in the future. Furthermore, Maverix will have the right to participate in any royalty or stream that Auramet may acquire in the future where the transaction value is equal to or greater than $20M.

16:36 EDT Shell Midstream says Hurricane Ida to impact Q3 net income by $45M to $55M - Shell Midstream Partners announced that it expects outages and repairs related to Hurricane Ida to have an impact to both net income and cash available for distribution of approximately $45 to $55M for the third quarter of 2021 and $20 to $30M for the fourth quarter of 2021. The majority of the impact is related to the previously disclosed downtime across various pipeline assets, as well as remediation costs related to the Partnership's assets in the Gulf of Mexico and onshore in southeastern Louisiana.

16:32 EDT Pfizer begins study of mRNA-based next generation flu vaccine program - Pfizer announced that the first participants have been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of a single dose quadrivalent mRNA vaccine against influenza in healthy adults. Pfizer's mRNA influenza vaccine program is the first in a planned wave of programs leveraging mRNA technology for influenza. Beyond influenza, the company plans to explore mRNA in other respiratory viruses, including medically appropriate vaccines combinations that could provide protection against more than one respiratory virus, as well as expand to develop mRNA technology in oncology, and genetic diseases.

16:27 EDT Endeavor Group to buy OpenBet from Scientific Games for $1.2B in cash and stock - Endeavor Group (EDR) has entered into an agreement to acquire OpenBet, a leading content, platform and service provider to the sports betting industry, from Scientific Games Corporation (SGMS) for $1.2B paid through a combination of $1B in cash and $200M in Endeavor's Class A common stock. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022, subject to regulatory consents and approvals, and customary closing conditions.

16:21 EDT Aurora Cannabis reports Q4 medial cannabis net revenue C$35.0M, up 9% y/y - Reports Q4 consumer cannabis net revenue C$19.5M, down 45% from last year.

16:19 EDT Concentrix announces $500M share repurchase program - The repurchase program has no termination date and may be suspended or discontinued at any time.

16:16 EDT Axos Financial names Derrick Walsh as CFO, succeeding Andrew Micheletti - Axos Financial announced that the Board of Directors of Axos has appointed Derrick Walsh as Executive Vice President, CFO of Axos, effective September 23. Walsh joined Axos in 2013 and has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer of Axos since 2015 and will continue to retain principal accounting officer responsibilities for Axos. He succeeds Andrew Micheletti who will continue with Axos as Executive Vice President, Finance, performing various strategic and investor relations initiatives.

16:13 EDT SoCalGas announces agreements to resolve Aliso Canyon litigation - Sempra Energy's SoCalGas announced agreements that are expected to resolve substantially all material civil litigation against SoCalGas and Sempra related to the 2015 Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility leak. As a result of the agreements, SoCalGas will record an after-tax charge of approximately $1.1B this month, which will be consolidated in Sempra's third-quarter results. The net, after-tax cash outflows for SoCalGas are expected to ultimately be up to approximately $895M, after taking into consideration the remaining insurance receivable and other adjustments. The agreements to resolve the referenced claims are subject to obtaining certain minimum participation levels among the plaintiffs and court approval of the settlement allocation process, among other conditions.

16:11 EDT Eastern Bankshares, Century Bancorp get regulatory approval to merge - Eastern Bankshares (EBC) and Century Bancorp (CNBKA) jointly announced they have received the necessary regulatory approvals from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Banks, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to complete their proposed merger. The Merger is expected to close in mid Q4 of 2021.

16:10 EDT Paratek Pharmaceuticals receives additional BARDA funding for Project BioShield - Paratek Pharmaceuticals announced that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded an option under the company's Project BioShield contract. This option provides additional funding to continue the development of Nuzyra under a FDA Animal Efficacy Rule development program to support a supplemental new drug application, or sNDA, to the FDA for post-exposure prophylaxis and treatment of pulmonary anthrax. The additional studies supported by this option increase the value of the BARDA contract by approximately $19M.

16:09 EDT SeaSpine receives CE Mark for 7D Flash Navigation System module - SeaSpine announced it received simultaneous CE Mark certification for its Cranial Module and Percutaneous Spine Module for the 7D Flash Navigation System. This achievement expands the applications and functionality of the Flash Navigation System for cranial surgery and minimally invasive spine surgery for the European market and additional global regions.

16:07 EDT Frequency Electronics announces contract from U.S. Office of Naval Research - Frequency Electronics announces the award of a contract by the Office of Naval Research to develop the pulsed optically-pumped rubidium atomic Frequency standard.frequency electronics was awarded a contract to develop the Pulsed Optically-Pumped Rubidium Atomic Frequency Standard, POPRAFS, for US Government applications on September 23. Total potential contract value, if all options are exercised, is approximately $17.75M. The base period of performance is two years, with two option periods of two years and one year, respectively.FEI CEO Stan Sloane commented, "We could not be more pleased to have received this contract award. The POPRAFS technology is a game changer for atomic clocks and will result in a significant improvement in capability over currently available products. POPRAFS is a very high performance, high stability atomic clock and will offer substantially better accuracy and holdover for critical government and other applications that demand that level of performance. This award will further broaden our product portfolio to address the terrestrial, space, and commercial markets."

16:06 EDT Griffon to explore strategic alternatives for Telephonics subsidiary - Griffon announced that its board has authorized a review of strategic alternatives for Griffon's subsidiary Telephonics Corporation.

16:00 EDT Rob Kaplan to retire as Dallas Fed President - The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas announced that President and CEO Rob Kaplan will retire from the Bank effective October 8, 2021. In a statement, Kaplan said: "The Federal Reserve is approaching a critical point in our economic recovery as it deliberates the future path of monetary policy. Unfortunately, the recent focus on my financial disclosure risks becoming a distraction to the Federal Reserve's execution of that vital work. For that reason, I have decided to retire as President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, effective Friday, October 8, 2021. During my tenure, I have adhered to all Federal Reserve ethical standards and policies. My securities investing activities and disclosures met Bank compliance rules and standards. I am proud of the work we have done at the Dallas Fed during the past six years and am confident that my colleagues will continue to play a vital role in supporting our nation's economic recovery." Reference Link

15:18 EDT PyroGenesis signs JV, license agreements with leading residue processor - PyroGenesis Canada is pleased to announce today that, further to its Q2 2021 financial results press release dated August 16th, it has signed joint venture and license agreements with a leading residue processor to transform dross residues into high value chemical products. This 50:50 JV will be geared towards building, installing and operating dross residue valorization facilities worldwide. To this effect, PyroGenesis secured, through the JV, an exclusive license to a patented and novel technology which is expected to convert dross residues into high value chemical products. Under the terms of the JV, the exclusive access to the technology initially applies to projects in North America and in the Gulf Cooperation Council nations. Upon successful completion of the first project, the exclusive access to the technology will expand to include, for all sense and purposes, the majority of the world. These dross residues are currently either being (i) landfilled (which is increasingly becoming banned by regulators) or (ii) sold as cheap flux to the cement industry.

14:56 EDT Coinbase to roll out feature in U.S. to deposit paychecks into Coinbase - Coinbase said in a blog past that, over the next few weeks, it is rolling out the ability for customers in the U.S. to deposit their paycheck into Coinbase to more easily make regular crypto trades, spend on Coinbase Card, earn crypto rewards, and more. "Get paid in crypto or in US dollars and deposit as much or as little of your paycheck as you want," the company said. "The future of payroll is coming." Reference Link

14:02 EDT Walmart announces partnership with Epic for Walmart Health - Walmart announced a new partnership with Epic, which it calls "the most widely-used and comprehensive health records system." Through this single, unified system, Walmart Health will engage patients, healthcare professionals, insurance carriers and other stakeholders and Epic's platform will support all of Walmart's health and wellness lines of businesses as it is rolled out, the company stated. Epic will first be implemented in four new Walmart Health Centers opening in Florida in early 2022, Walmart noted. "Our vision to provide best in class healthcare, anywhere, anytime includes a seamless experience for our customers, healthcare professional partners and associates. Leveraging best in class partners like Epic and their technology platform will assist us in providing a unified health record across care settings, geographies and multiple sources of health data. The Epic system complements our omnichannel healthcare offerings - letting customers and healthcare professionals access care and health records to lead to more personalized care," added Dr. Cheryl Pegus, executive vice president, Walmart Health & Wellness.

13:19 EDT Apyx Medical trading halted, volatility trading pause

12:28 EDT Comcast to invest $26M to expand broadband network in Philadelphia, New Jersey - Comcast Business announced a two-year, $26M investment in a major expansion of its advanced network throughout Greater Philadelphia and New Jersey, reaching nearly 4,000 businesses directly and benefiting thousands more by making the network more accessible and affordable. The two-year build-out includes $10.3M invested in 2020 and an additional $15.7M in projects underway or planned for 2021. Upon completion, Comcast Business will have invested a total of nearly $100M in area network expansions since 2015, to the benefit of nearly 24,000 businesses. "Access to technology is critical to the success of our local businesses, whether it's a regional business closing more deals digitally, a hospital transferring large imaging files or a retailer looking to connect multiple locations," said Dean Miller, President & CEO of the Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies. "Comcast's investment in the region will strengthen our business community and create new opportunities by supporting workforce development and benefiting overall economic expansion."

12:08 EDT Facebook creates $50M fund to build metaverse products 'responsibly' - Facebook announced a $50M investment in global research and program partners to ensure that metaverse products "are developed responsibly." The company said, "Through this fund, we'll collaborate with industry partners, civil rights groups, governments, nonprofits and academic institutions to determine how to build these technologies responsibly." Reference Link

12:03 EDT Warner Music announces partnership with Twitch - Warner Music Group and Twitch announced a partnership "that will see the companies launch various recording artist channels and create a standalone music space featuring premium music-centric programming." The deal marks Twitch's first partnership with a major record company, Warner Music said in a statement. The partnership will see the launch of Warner artist channels, including superstars Bella Poarch and Saweetie, "featuring a steady stream of exclusive content and behind-the-scenes material," it added. Additionally, Twitch has created a new process that participating music rights holders, including Warner, can opt into to report certain uses of their music, "to address when creators inadvertently or incidentally use music in their streams."

12:00 EDT Natuzzi falls -9.7% - Natuzzi is down -9.7%, or -$2.04 to $18.96.

12:00 EDT PBF Energy rises 14.1% - PBF Energy is up 14.1%, or $1.73 to $13.97.

12:00 EDT SandRidge Energy rises 16.2% - SandRidge Energy is up 16.2%, or $1.87 to $13.44.

11:49 EDT Devon Energy pays $6.15M to settle False Claims Act allegations - Devon Energy has agreed to pay $6.15M to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by underpaying and underreporting royalties for natural gas from federal lands in Wyoming and New Mexico, the Department of Justice announced. The settlement resolves allegations that, in calculating royalties, Devon improperly deducted payments to third-parties for gas transportation and processing that included costs to place the gas in marketable condition, and thereby knowingly underreported and underpaid royalties to the Department of the Interior. Reference Link

11:13 EDT Illumina announces publication on whole-genome sequencing study - Illumina scientists, together with investigators from five children's hospital across the US, have co-authored a study published today in JAMA Pediatrics reporting findings from the NICUSeq Randomized Time-Delayed Trial. Results show that use of clinical whole-genome sequencing outperforms usual care by two-fold both in terms of diagnostic efficacy and change of clinical management of acutely ill newborns suspected of having a genetic condition. The data support the widespread adoption and implementation of cWGS for newborns in crisis. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Nebraska Medical Center and in partnership with Children's Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, Children's Hospital of Orange County in conjunction with Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine, Washington University/St. Louis Children's Hospital and Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center took part in study which enrolled a racially and ethnically diverse, and geographically distributed, population of acutely ill infants. The patient population of 354 infants was randomized to either receive cWGS within 15 days or 60 days of admission, with a total observation period of 90 days. In both arms of the study, access to cWGS doubled the proportion of patients receiving a precision diagnosis of their condition and a change of clinical management. Importantly, the study mirrored the real-world variability of infant care, and as such shows that whole-genome sequencing implementation is practical and superior to current diverse usual care practices, according to the study investigators.

11:07 EDT Exor, Ferrari announce multi-year collaboration with Jony Ive, LoveFrom - Exor N.V. (EXXRF) and Ferrari N.V. (RACE) announce a long term, multi-year collaboration with Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson at the creative collective LoveFrom. The companies said, "The first expression of this new partnership will bring together Ferrari's legendary performance and excellence with LoveFrom's unrivalled experience and creativity that has defined extraordinary world changing products. Beyond the collaboration with Ferrari, LoveFrom will explore a range of creative projects with Exor in the business of luxury." Sir Jony Ive will also join Exor's Partners Council. Reference Link

11:03 EDT Siemens awarded $14M task order for infrastructure modernization by USACE - Siemens Government Technologies has won a $14 million task order from the Army Corps of Engineers under its Utility Monitoring and Control Systems-V contract vehicle, for the upgrade of cooling and ventilation systems in a Defense Information Systems Agency facility at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. SGT was initially selected by USACE as one of 14 firms qualified to pursue task orders under its UMCS-V contract vehicle in November 2019. This current task order builds on a portfolio of work that SGT has successfully performed across government installations in the U.S. and abroad, helping military service branches and federal agencies meet their infrastructure modernization and energy resiliency and efficiency goals.

10:40 EDT UK's CMA announces clearance of Facebook's acquisition of Kustomer - The Competition and Markets Authority said on its website, "The CMA has cleared the anticipated acquisition by Facebook, Inc. of Kustomer, Inc. The full text of the CMA decision will be published in due course." Reference Link

10:33 EDT Applied DNA receives purchase orders totaling $1.6M to tag textile fibers - Applied DNA Sciences announced that it received purchase orders from a textile customer totaling $1.6M to supply molecular taggant to tag textile fibers. The company expects to ship the majority of the total value of the purchase orders during the current quarter ending September 30, 2021, with the balance expected to be shipped in the subsequent quarter. Concurrently, the company announced that it is progressing textile projects with leading apparel brands that, if successful and adopted by said brands and their suppliers, would represent new commercial opportunities for Applied DNA in fiscal 2022. These projects include textiles of multiple fibers with customer operations in the Americas, Europe, the U.K., and Southeast Asia. "We are pleased to see demand for tagged textiles approaching pre-pandemic levels," said MeiLin Wan, vice president of Textile Sales at Applied DNA. "The pandemic has forced textile brands and their suppliers to reimagine their supply chain models to prioritize sustainability, brand protection, and supply chain traceability. Having spent the pandemic positioning CertainT as the means through which to accelerate their traceability investments, we believe that the projects before us represent the future of textile supply chain traceability."

10:01 EDT Jamf Holding appoints Linh Lam as CIO - Jamf announced the appointment of Linh Lam as the company's Chief Information Officer. Lam will lead Jamf's technology strategy to create and implement a model for the modern hybrid workplace as the company continues its rapid growth. Lam joins Jamf from ICE Mortgage Technology as their SVP & Chief Information Officer where she partnered with business leaders to align enterprise technology delivery to support business strategy that enabled the company to scale from $500M to $950M in revenue in 2.5 years.

10:00 EDT Natuzzi falls -9.0% - Natuzzi is down -9.0%, or -$1.89 to $19.11.

10:00 EDT Southwestern Energy rises 8.7% - Southwestern Energy is up 8.7%, or 42c to $5.24.

10:00 EDT PBF Energy rises 9.6% - PBF Energy is up 9.6%, or $1.18 to $13.43.

09:47 EDT Fang Holdings falls -6.7% - Fang Holdings is down -6.7%, or -40c to $5.61.

09:47 EDT United States Natural Gas Fund rises 6.5% - United States Natural Gas Fund is up 6.5%, or $1.18 to $19.26.

09:47 EDT Kraton rises 7.6% - Kraton is up 7.6%, or $3.15 to $44.67.

09:36 EDT Joann hiring thousands of Team Members across the country - JOANN is hiring Team Members to join a fun and engaging work environment. Positions are available at the retailer's 853 stores across the United States, and applicants can look forward to an inclusive and creative work setting with robust employee perks. JOANN Team Members enjoy a 30% off discount, competitive benefits, flexible schedules, opportunities for growth and on the job training. Additionally, JOANN is hosting nationwide hiring events on October 1, 2, 8 and 9. Interested candidates can simply walk into their local JOANN for immediate interviews, and on the spot job offers. In addition to an everyday 30% discount, current JOANN store Team Members can receive a cash incentive by referring candidates who accept an offer. Interested candidates can apply for a variety of roles in stores, including Inventory Coordinators, Key Holders, Cashiers, Merchandise Replenishment Team Members, General Team Members and more. In addition, the company's Distribution Centers are hiring across the country. Some of the openings include Order Selectors, Maintenance Technicians, Inventory Control, Receiving Clerks, Drivers, Supervisors and more.

09:33 EDT Franklin Resources to acquire investment grade credit team from Aviva Investors - Franklin Resources announced the talent acquisition of Aviva Investors' US-based Investment Grade Credit team, including senior portfolio managers Josh Lohmeier, CFA, and Michael Cho, CFA, to join Franklin Templeton Fixed Income. In addition, Tom Meyers, CFA, previously Aviva's Head of Americas Client Solutions, will join FTFI in a newly created role as SVP, Senior Director of Investments and Strategy Development, Fixed Income. Meyers, Lohmeier and the full investment team are expected to join by the end of 2021. Lohmeier and Meyers will report to Sonal Desai, CIO at FTFI, and the investment team will continue to report to Lohmeier. The Investment Grade Credit team currently manages over $7.5 billion in institutional AUM at Aviva, across its suite of investment grade credit strategies, including US Investment Grade Credit, US Long Duration Credit, US Long Duration Government/Credit, and US Intermediate Credit, with additional customized versions of each strategy for various institutional clients. Aviva clients in these strategies will have the opportunity to continue to have the team manage their assets at Franklin Templeton. The Investment Grade Credit team's approach and expertise are complementary to FTFI's existing active quant investment process, which combines fundamental research-based active management with quantitative analysis and data science. In addition, the team's investment philosophy and culture, built on the belief that a quantitative enhancement to fundamental research leads to more consistent and repeatable alpha generation, strongly aligns with FTFI's existing culture. Meyers will lead a newly formed team that will be responsible for representing FTFI's global fixed income investment strategies. He will help set the strategy for engagement with clients, prospects, and intermediaries to discuss FTFI's investment philosophy, process and performance. He will oversee the implementation of this strategy via a team of expert investment specialists and client-focused functions as an integrated part of FTFI's investment team, focusing on partnership with key distribution channels to support business growth.

09:27 EDT Biohaven drops after verdiperstat shows no efficacy in multiple system atrophy

09:23 EDT BTCS retires convertible note early, eliminates potential equity dilution - BTCS announced that the Company has paid off its $1.0 million convertible note issued in December 2020. BTCS' stock price was $1.60 at the time of issuance of the note in December 2020 compared to $6.38 as of September 24, 2021. Similarly, the price of Ethereum was a mere $636 when the note was issued, compared to approximately $3,000 as of September 26, 2021.

09:21 EDT Franchise Group acquires Sylvan Learning for $81M - Franchise Group announced that it has completed the acquisition of Sylvan Learning, a tutoring franchisor for Pre-K-12 students and families in the U.S., in an all cash transaction valued at approximately $81M. The Transaction was financed with available cash. Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, Sylvan is an established and growing franchisor of tutoring services. Sylvan addresses the full range of student needs with a broad variety of academic curriculums delivered in an omnichannel format. Sylvan has a growing footprint and currently has more than 700 locations, in 49 states, including more than 560 physical centers, of which all but six are franchised. Sylvan's omnichannel platform has helped deliver attractive unit economics to its franchisees. The platform provides franchisees with the ability to provide a range of services, including on-premises, online, one-on-one and in group tutoring. For Franchise Group's fiscal year 2021, Sylvan is estimating total systemwide revenue of approximately $169 million, company revenue of approximately $30 million and Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $12 million. Franchise Group expects that the Transaction will be immediately accretive to its Non-GAAP EPS in 2021. Franchise Group management will update its guidance inclusive of Sylvan when it reports its third quarter financial results in November.

09:16 EDT Cellect Biotechnology announces shareholder approval of merger with Quoin - Cellect Biotechnology (APOP) announced shareholders voted to approve the previously announced strategic merger agreement with privately-held Quoin Pharmaceuticals, a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on rare and orphan diseases, and all other proposals presented at the Special General Meeting of shareholders held on September 26, 2021, including the sale of the company's subsidiary, Cellect Biotherapeutics, to EnCellX, a privately held company based in San Diego, CA. Approximately 99% of the votes cast on the strategic merger agreement at the Special General Meeting voted in favor of approving the proposal. Subject to the satisfaction or waiver of all other closing conditions, the strategic merger is expected to close in October, 2021. The Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization has been amended by the parties therein to extend the Outside Date thereunder from September 30, 2021 to November 1, 2021. The Amended and Restated Share Transfer Agreement has also been amended to extend the outside closing date of the share transfer to November 1, 2021. Following the completion of the strategic merger, Cellect will be renamed Quoin Pharmaceuticals, and will trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol "QNRX". The sale of the intellectual property to EnCellX will be concurrent with the closing of the strategic merger with Quoin Pharmaceuticals.

09:14 EDT Verizon Business announces updates across BlueJeans by Verizon portfolio - At Enterprise Connect Virtual, Verizon Business announced several updates across the BlueJeans by Verizon video conferencing and events portfolio to maximize engagement in a hybrid world. The latest enhancements to BlueJeans Events, BlueJeans Rooms, BlueJeans Meetings and BlueJeans Mobile, were designed to provide customers with the flexibility to hold dynamic, secure and interactive meetings of any size and from anywhere. To make the hybrid work environment more natural and engaging, BlueJeans is excited to announce the Next-Generation of its BlueJeans platform, an integrated collaboration experience that builds upon Meetings to deliver new modes of virtual communication that include BlueJeans Spaces, Messaging and Collaboration Board. By creating a 2D or 3D virtual space where distributed teams can come together to work, with all the necessary tools in one place to improve workstreams, brainstorm, organize and socialize, BlueJeans is addressing one of the most significant hurdles in today's hybrid work reality. Learn more about Spaces here. Today marks a massive leap forward in attendee capacity for BlueJeans Events, with record-breaking support for up to 150,000 interactive virtual event participants. To meet customer demand for super-sized virtual events that offer full interactivity, where they can participate in the Q&A, chat, polling, and raise their hand to be promoted onto the virtual stage, the latest updates to BlueJeans Events make the platform primetime for streaming industry-leading virtual conferences and forward-thinking, fan-centric entertainment activations. New features include: Closed Caption Translation: Expanding beyond English-only closed captioning to deliver automated, real-time closed captioning in over 70 new languages. Simultaneous Interpretation: Simultaneous interpretation supports up to 5 concurrent audio channels for delivering simultaneous and/or relay interpretation for attendees. Interpreters have the ability to set their incoming and outgoing languages, alongside volume and audio mix. Background Blur: Presenters and Moderators will be able to set their Background Blur density either at the hair check screen before joining the Event or directly through their video settings once in the Event. Embeddable Event Recordings: Complementing the best-in-class embed experience for live player and interactivity widgets, users now have the ability to take Event content and drop it onto any HTML page for on-demand viewing post-event. Event coordinators are being tasked with finding ways to create more interactivity and inclusivity with large-scale events, so that every event attendee can get the most out of the show. BlueJeans is the first virtual event provider to meet this requirement head on. Learn more here. BlueJeans is launching a brand-new, Android-based version of BlueJeans Rooms to power the next-generation of premium room-based video conferencing. In partnership with Poly, BlueJeans Rooms running on the Poly Studio X series will enable customers to immediately transform how conference room-bound employees are able to participate in hybrid meetings. BlueJeans Rooms will run natively on all three Studio X Series devices. In addition to the Poly Studio X Series, BlueJeans Rooms is certified to work with the Poly G7500 for customers interested in deploying a modular system for video conferencing that provides for flexible configurations that meet the needs of the most complex room environments. Learn more here. Unlocking true productivity for distributed teams will require breakthroughs in augmented reality that enable business leaders to fundamentally reimagine the way teams can work together. To empower hybrid and remote workers to do their best work, even when they aren't located in the same region or time zone, BlueJeans is proud to announce a new native meeting experience for Glass Enterprise Edition 2 from Google. Delivering premium, hands-free video conferencing, the BlueJeans Meetings app on Glass Enterprise Edition 2 takes advantage of Glass' 8MP camera to deliver stunningly clear streaming video and enable all participants to have pristine line-of-sight into whatever vantage point matters most. BlueJeans then augments these impressive visuals with Dolby Voice audio, featuring world-class noise suppression to help mitigate any potential disruptions that could impact timely issue resolution and spatial audio to help deliver truly immersive collaboration.

09:12 EDT Denali Therapeutics appoints Katie Peng as Chief Commercial Officer - Denali Therapeutics announced the appointment of Katie Peng to the newly created role of Chief Commercial Officer. Peng most recently served as the Senior Vice President, Head of the OMNI Business Unit at Genentech where she was responsible for the neurology, ophthalmology, immunology, respiratory, and rare diseases portfolio.

09:11 EDT Sumo Logic releases inaugural ESG report - Sumo Logic released its inaugural Environmental, Social and Governance Report that highlights the ways in which Sumo Logic is enabling progress and sustainable growth in communities across the world. The report details the progress Sumo Logic has made on its ESG priorities over the past year and is communicated to the company's investor community in alignment with the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board's standards. Among the many focus areas this report covers, key highlights from the past year include: Alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals including Zero Hunger, Gender Equality, Decent Work, and Economic Growth, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and Climate Action. Alignment with the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board disclosure recommendations for Software and IT Services. Board oversight of ESG as specified in the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee's charter. Diversity and Inclusion training for all Sumo Logic employees and three new employee resource groups. Comprehensive environmental assessment of Sumo Logic's corporate headquarters energy, water, and waste footprint.

09:10 EDT PharmaCyte Biotech announces encapsulation material does not alter cellular DNA - PharmaCyte Biotech announced further results from a third test of biocompatibility of its CypCaps product candidate for pancreatic cancer. The tests results showed that the empty capsule material is not "mutagenic." A mutagen is a physical or chemical agent that permanently changes genetic material, usually DNA, in an organism and thus increases the frequency of mutations above the natural background level. PharmaCyte's Chief Executive Officer, Kenneth L. Waggoner, said, "As we continue to receive data from a myriad of tests that are currently in progress, we are generating exactly the data we expected to generate when we began addressing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's desire to see more data. These latest test results continue to support the safety of PharmaCyte's product candidate, CypCaps. In line with data generated previously, we are confident that the encapsulation material used for CypCaps is biocompatible, safe and not toxic. Each of the tests that we're conducting should continue to demonstrate this." The study, which was performed by a third-party Contract Research Organization in compliance with OECD Principles of Good Laboratory Practice and in accordance with four regulatory guidelines was designed to determine if the device component of CypCaps can cause mutations by altering DNA. The specific objective of the study was to evaluate whether two differently prepared extracts of empty capsule material can induce reverse mutations in specific genes in four indicator strains of bacteria Salmonella typhimurium and one indicator strain of Escherichia coli. The third-party CRO concluded from the data obtained that the empty capsule material is "non-mutagenic."

09:09 EDT L.B. Foster completes sale of steel Piling Products business for $24M proceeds - L.B. Foster Company announced that it completed the sale of its steel Piling Products line of business to J.D. Fields & Company, Inc. on September 24, 2021 for approximately $24 million in total proceeds. The Company is retaining all pre-closing receivables and liabilities associated with the business. The asset sale includes all inventory held by the Company associated with the line of business, as well as the related fixed assets, including its Petersburg, VA facility. The Piling Products division produced revenues of approximately $43 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021, and $59 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2020.

09:08 EDT Curtiss-Wright gets Raytheon contract to make MOSA-based nodules for AC/MC-130J - Curtiss-Wright (CW) announced that it was awarded a contract by Raytheon Technologies (RTX) to provide its rugged Modular Open Systems Approach or MOSA-based processor and networking modules for use in the NextGen SMP . The NextGen SMP serves as the central processing component of the AC/MC-130J aircraft, also known as the Ghostrider and Commando II. "We are very proud to have been selected by Raytheon Technologies to support the secure mission processing requirements of this important special operations platform with our rugged commercial-off-the-shelf modular open system processing technology," said Lynn M. Bamford, President and CEO of Curtiss-Wright Corporation. "Curtiss-Wright has established a leadership role in delivering the numerous benefits of MOSA solutions to the U.S. Air Force and other military forces, and we are excited to provide these critical technologies to support the Air Force Special Operations Command." The NextGen SMP provides the Air Force Special Operations Command, AFSOC, with secure commercial-off-the-shelf mission systems to integrate with the aircraft displays, sensors, and other onboard systems. The NextGen SMP solution is based on an open-computing environment that addresses obsolescence and enables rapid deployment of third-party application software to the Air Force. Shipments have begun and are scheduled to run through 2032.

09:08 EDT GSE Systems awarded $1.6M contract to upgrade two Canadian nuclear power plants - GSE Systems has been awarded a contract to upgrade the simulators at two Canadian nuclear power plants. The project is estimated to take 24 months to complete with a total value of roughly $1.6M.

09:06 EDT Safe Bulkers announces availability of 2020 sustainability report - Safe Bulkers announced that the Company's 2020 Sustainability Report is available for download. Dr. Loukas Barmparis, President of the Company commented: "We proudly present our 2020 Sustainability Report describing the environmental, social and governance practices and our vision towards a continuous enhancement of our ESG standards."

09:05 EDT Ria Money Transfer partners with Paytm Payments Bank - Ria Money Transfer and Paytm Payments Bank announced a partnership to enable customers to send money in real time - virtually instantly - through Ria's extensive network to Paytm's prominent mobile wallet. Paytm becomes the country's first platform to accept international remittances directly into a digital wallet, and Ria becomes the first money transfer company to connect with Paytm's approximately 333 million wallet users significantly increasing its customer reach in the region and creating a new delivery channel for the Indian diaspora to send money back home.

09:04 EDT WidePoint reinstates prior $2.1M share repurchase program - WidePoint has reinstated its prior share repurchase program to which it may repurchase up to $2.1M of its common stock, which plan was suspended on March 9, 2020 as a precaution due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the share repurchase program, repurchases of the issued and outstanding shares may be made from time-to-time in open market and privately negotiated transactions. WidePoint currently has 9.1M shares outstanding.

09:03 EDT Mullen releases update letter to shareholders - Mullen Automotive, which previously announced a definitive stock-for-stock reverse merger agreement with Net Element, in which Mullen's stockholders will receive a majority of the outstanding stock in the post-merger company, releases the following letter to shareholders from Mullen's Chief Executive Officer, David Michery. Michery said, "As we begin the fourth quarter of 2021, I would like to take this opportunity to update everyone on the progress being made to complete the merger with Net Element. I am pleased to say that the SEC has declared effective the S-4 registration statement of the shares of the merger. The shareholders and boards of both companies have approved the deal and the Company believes it can comply with the listing standards of the NASDAQ. The Company currently is awaiting a final response from NASDAQ. I would also like to update you on the upcoming debut of Mullen FIVE EV crossover. Mullen will be debuting the FIVE this coming November 2021 at the Los Angeles International Auto Show. Please visit Mullen and the FIVE EV Crossover Nov. 17 - 28 in the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center. We will continue communicating our developments to the investment community, and encourage shareholders and potential investors to visit our website and follow our social media channels, such as Facebook and Twitter, to stay informed and fully aware of new developments as they occur."

08:56 EDT Altair Engineering announces private placement financing of $200M - Altair announced a private placement financing of $200 million from Matrix Capital Management Company LP, one of the Company's largest stockholders, in exchange for 2,935,564 shares of its Class A common stock. Per the terms of the agreement, the shares will be subject to a 1-year lockup period.

08:48 EDT Omniq to deploy omniQ VISION at Miami International Airport - omniQ will deploy omniQ VISION at Miami International Airport. omniQ was selected by DESIGNA Access Corporation to deploy omniQ VISION, its advanced A.I. based license plate recognition and vehicle recognition technology. omniQ VISION is now deployed at more than 40 airports, including 50% of the top 20 hub airports in the U.S. including Atlanta, Dallas Fort Worth, Los Angeles International Airport and John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. In bidding on the MIA contract, omniQ VISION participated in a detailed Request for Quotation thru DESIGNA with several other LPR companies. DESIGNA is the contracted PARCS vendor with Miami-Dade County for the deployment of a new Parking Access and Revenue Control System which includes License Plate Recognition. Key requirements for DESIGNA's RFQ included the ability to work in a VM Ware environment along with providing a fully integrated fixed and mobile LPR solution from the same supplier utilizing a single database of LPR records. omniQ Vision was awarded the Designa/MIA contract which calls for 50+ fixed lanes of LPR for entry and exit plazas at the airport which includes license plate processing in a virtualized environment, along with failover capabilities. The agreement also includes omniQ's SeeMobile Vehicle mounted LPR and SeePatrol Handheld LPR units for license plate inventory along with Bluetooth printers for vehicle notifications. The system is expected to be deployed at Miami International Airport during Q4 2021.

08:46 EDT StoneMor Partners receives letter from Axar on discussing strategic alternatives - StoneMor announced that its board of directors has received a letter, dated September 22, 2021, from Axar Capital Management in which Axar expressed an interest in pursuing discussions concerning strategic alternatives that may be beneficial to the Company and its various stakeholders. Axar currently owns approximately 75% of the Company's outstanding common stock. Axar has engaged Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP as its legal advisor and stated in the Letter that it would engage a financial advisor at the appropriate time. According to the Letter, Axar expects that any such discussions would be conducted with a special committee of the Board, assisted by financial and legal advisors it engages. The Letter also states that any transaction involving Axar arising from such discussions would be conditioned upon, among other things, approval of the special committee and the Board, the negotiation and execution of mutually satisfactory definitive agreements and customary terms. The Letter also stated that any transaction structured as a take-private transaction would be subject to a closing condition that the approval of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares not owned by Axar or its affiliates be obtained. On September 26, 2021, the Board authorized its Conflicts Committee, which is comprised of independent directors Stephen J. Negrotti, Kevin Patrick and Patricia Wellenbach, to engage in the discussions contemplated by the Letter, including the authority to engage in discussions concerning and to negotiate the terms and provisions of any strategic alternative the Conflicts Committee determines to be appropriate in connection with such discussions. Under its charter, the Conflicts Committee has the authority to reject, approve or recommend that the Board approve any transaction that is a related party transaction, which would include any transaction to which Axar is a party. The Conflicts Committee intends to retain independent legal and financial advisors to assist in such discussions. The Board cautions the Company's stockholders and others considering trading in the Company's securities that the discussions contemplated by the Letter have not commenced, and there can be no assurance that any transaction will result from such discussions. The Company does not undertake any obligation to provide any updates with respect to these matters, except as required under applicable law.

08:41 EDT ChemoCentryx announces approval in Japan of TAVNEOS - ChemoCentryx (CCIX) announced that Kissei Pharmaceutical (KSPHF) has received approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare to market TAVNEOS, an orally administered selective complement 5a receptor inhibitor, in Japan for the treatment of patients with microscopic polyangiitis and granulomatosis with polyangiitis, the two main forms of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody-associated vasculitis also known as ANCA-associated vasculitis or ANCA vasculitis. ChemoCentryx's Kidney Health Alliance with Vifor Pharma (GNHAY) provides Vifor Pharma with exclusive rights to commercialize avacopan in markets outside of the U.S., and Vifor Pharma has granted Kissei Pharmaceutical an exclusive license to commercialize TAVNEOS, in Japan. In other countries, the PDUFA goal date for the Food and Drug Administration decision on the Company's amended NDA is October 7, 2021 and the regulatory decision in Europe following the European Medicines Agency review is expected by the end of 2021.

08:40 EDT ElectraMeccanica engages MZ Group to lead investor relations - ElectraMeccanica Vehicles has engaged investor relations specialists MZ Group to manage a comprehensive, strategic investor relations and financial communications program across all key markets.MZ Group will work closely with ElectraMeccanica management to implement a comprehensive capital markets strategy focused on increasing the Company's visibility in the investment community. The new campaign will highlight ElectraMeccanica's transition to a commercial production enterprise with the upcoming sales deliveries and ramp of its flagship single-occupant SOLO electric vehicle. MZ will advise ElectraMeccanica in all facets of corporate and financial communications, including the coordination of roadshows and investment conferences across key cities and building brand awareness with financial and social media outlets.

08:39 EDT Sabina Gold & Silver CFO Elaine Bennett to depart, Wendy Louie to succeed - Sabina Gold & Silver reports changes to executive team effective September 27, 2021. After over 13 years with the Company, Elaine Bennett, Vice-President, Finance and CFO for the Company, will be stepping down from her role and moving on to pursue new opportunities. Wendy Louie will be assuming the position effective September 27, 2021. Louie is a Canadian Chartered Professional Accountant with over 25 years of diverse finance and leadership experience. She most recently has provided consulting services in the mining, shipping, energy and technology sectors through her private consulting company which included mergers and acquisitions, risk management and advisory expertise. Bennett will continue on with the Company during a transition period to integrate Louie into the Company's Finance Department.

08:37 EDT Acasti Pharma announces initiation of study for GTX-104 - Acasti Pharma announces the initiation of its planned pharmacokinetic bridging study to evaluate the relative bioavailability of intravenous GTX-104 compared to currently marketed oral nimodipine capsules in 50 healthy subjects. The PK study is the next required step in the proposed 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway for GTX-104. Results from this study are expected in the first half of calendar 2022, and after review with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, will help to determine the final design of the Company's planned Phase 3 safety study for GTX-104 in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage patients. Assuming the PK study and related FDA review progress as planned, the Company expects to begin the Phase 3 study during the second half of 2022. GTX-104 is a novel IV nimodipine infusion being developed to treat SAH, which is a central nervous system condition that causes acute bleeding on the brain and requires immediate medical attention to prevent long-term disability or death. Jan D'Alvise, Chief Executive Officer of Acasti, stated, "We are rapidly advancing our clinical pipeline and are proud to have already initiated this PK bridging study of GTX-104 in the short time since completing our acquisition of Grace Therapeutics at the end of August. This latest study follows an earlier safety and dose-escalation crossover study conducted by Grace, which reported encouraging results. We believe GTX-104 has the potential to provide improved bioavailability and lower intra-subject variability compared to oral capsules, which could translate into better blood pressure control in these critically ill patients. Moreover, it could provide a more convenient dosing schedule that would be easier to administer to patients who are unconscious. SAH is a devastating condition that afflicts more than 50,000 patients per year in the United States and is one of the most expensive acute conditions to treat. As a result, we believe GTX-104, through our unique formulation, has the potential to address a sizable market opportunity with a significant unmet medical need."

08:36 EDT Celestica releases 2020 sustainability report - Celestica announced the release of its 2020 Sustainability Report. The report demonstrates Celestica's commitment to fostering a company-wide culture of sustainability focused on supporting people, the planet and the communities in which it operates. Highlights from Celestica's 2020 Sustainability Report include: Environmental: Setting greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets in line with climate science and the goals of the Paris Agreement. Decreasing Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 21.3% from 2019. Achieving a waste diversion rate of 92.5%. Averting 10,000 metric tonnes of CO2e through renewable energy projects. Social: Implementing robust safety processes and protocols in response to the COVID-19 pandemic for employees working onsite, while supporting remote employees. Volunteering over 18,800 working hours in local communities and over 125,000 hours since 2015. Bringing diversity and inclusion into focus and further incorporating it into our culture, workplace, and talent practices. Logging approximately 1,500,000 training hours in 2020. Governance: Strengthening our governance position by embedding board level strategy and oversight into our ESG management system, which included enhancing ESG elements in our financial disclosures. Conducting a board diversity survey and confirming a board gender diversity target of 30%. Enhancing our own reporting to include alignment to the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board and a preliminary disclosure to the Financial Stability Board's Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.

08:34 EDT Sarepta to initiate Part B of MOMENTUM study of SRP-5051 - Sarepta Therapeutics announced that following positive interactions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the company plans to initiate Part B of the MOMENTUM study, in the fourth quarter. MOMENTUM is a global trial investigating the use of SRP-5051, the company's next-generation peptide-conjugated phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer to treat patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who are amenable to exon 51 skipping. The study will enroll between 20-40 patients between ages 7 to 21 amenable to exon 51 skipping who are naive to SRP-5051. Additionally, those previously dosed in Study 5051-201, Part A or Study 5051-102 who meet the entrance criteria will be eligible to participate. Both ambulatory and non-ambulatory patients are eligible for participation. The company will submit the protocol in the next week. "If proven safe and as efficacious as our initial data suggest it may be, SRP-5051 could be the first in a host of transformative therapies from our next-generation PPMO platform to treat and improve the lives of children living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. In addition to the fantastic work of our team, and the dedication of Duchenne families and the program's investigators, I would like to thank FDA's Division of Neurology I for their diligence and thoughtful advice and input, without which we would not be able to commence Part B of the MOMEMTUM study ahead of schedule," said Doug Ingram, Sarepta's president and chief executive officer.

08:32 EDT Ambow Education awarded U.S. patent - Ambow Education announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted the company an International Patent for "Method and Device for Adaptively Controlling Multimedia Blackboard, Medium and Electronic Apparatus" (Patent Number: US011017565B1). This innovative process creates a three-dimensional model of a target space, utilizes an adaptive algorithm to capture the spread of students in a classroom based on the model, then shifts the multimedia blackboard automatically to enable optimal viewing for each student, reducing their class fatigue and contributing to improved teaching effectiveness and learning efficiency accordingly.

08:29 EDT Rolls-Royce agrees to sell ITP Aero to Bain Capital Private Equity - Rolls-Royce announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell 100% of ITP Aero to Bain Capital Private Equity, which is leading a consortium of investors, for approximately EUR 1.7B. The consortium includes interests to be held by Spanish co-investors SAPA and JB Capital. "The proposed sale is a key element of Rolls-Royce's disposal programme, announced on 27 August 2020, to raise proceeds of at least GBP 2.0B, and is consistent with the company's strategy of reducing capital intensity while maintaining a key long-term strategic supply relationship. Rolls-Royce will receive total cash proceeds, excluding any cash retained by Rolls-Royce, of approximately EUR 1.7B, which will be used to help rebuild the Rolls-Royce balance sheet, in support of the company's medium-term ambition to return to an investment grade credit profile. The proposed sale values ITP Aero at an enterprise value of approximately EUR 1.8B. The transaction has been approved by the Board of Rolls-Royce and the consortium members and is subject to certain closing conditions, including customary regulatory clearances. It is expected to close in the first half of 2022. The consortium's vision for an independent ITP Aero is to invest in growing the company's products, regions and customers and further enhance its status as a Spanish national champion. ITP Aero's partnership with Bain Capital and the consortium will allow it to further drive its strategy to be a pioneer of new technologies and world class manufacturing enabled by a highly skilled workforce. This strategy will see ITP Aero maintain and grow its position as a leading supplier of critical engine components to key civil aviation and defence aircraft platforms, further diversifying its customer base and supporting the next generation of aircraft, including in sustainable and low carbon technologies. The consortium fully recognises the importance of ITP Aero to Spain, the Basque Country, and the Spanish Government," the company stated. Reference Link

08:26 EDT Alpine Immune Sciences director buys 15K share of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Alpine Immune Sciences disclosed that board member Robert Conway bought 15K shares of common stock on September 23rd in a total transaction size of $151K, boosting his stake by about 43%. Shares of Alpine Immune Sciences are up about 1% at $10.46 per share in pre-market trading.

08:25 EDT Telos, Splunk, stackArmor partner under ATO on AWS program - Telos Corporation (TLS), Splunk Inc (SPLK) and stackArmor are excited to announce their partnership under the authority to operate on Amazon Web Services program to reduce the time and cost associated with ATO compliance through the new FASTTR initiative, which stands for Faster ATO with Splunk, Telos and ThreatAlert for Regulated Markets. FASTTR brings together three innovative cybersecurity solutions to benefit independent software providers and regulated defense contractors that are required to comply with complex state and local government security regulations, like FedRAMP, FISMA, CMMC and soon, StateRAMP. stackArmor's ThreatAlert ATO Accelerator rapidly delivers a dedicated AWS Landing Zone with NIST compliant security services and a complete ATO documentation package generated using Xacta, the Telos cyber risk management and compliance automation solution that features AWS control inheritance and Open Security Controls Assessment Language (OSCAL) data exchange capabilities. To ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of sensitive data, ThreatAlert integrates Splunk's security information and event management capabilities to meet continuous monitoring and auditability requirements. The unique "in-boundary" deployment model of the ThreatAlert ATO Accelerator that includes both Splunk solutions and Telos Xacta reduces the time and cost of ATO projects by ensuring that data stays within the accreditation boundary.

08:23 EDT Phathom Pharmaceuticals announces results from VONO-103 - Phathom Pharmaceuticals reported results from VONO-103, a Phase 1 trial evaluating the effects of vonoprazan 20 mg once daily, or QD, and lansoprazole 30 mg QD in healthy U.S. subjects. In the study, vonoprazan demonstrated significantly greater acid inhibition as compared to lansoprazole. The study treatments were generally well tolerated with no serious adverse events reported. The primary pharmacodynamic endpoints of VONO-103 were mean gastric pH over twenty-four hours and the percentage of time with gastric pH above 4 on Days 1 and 7. Gastric pH levels are measured on a logarithmic scale from 0.0 to 14.0, in which each point represents a 10-fold change in acidity and higher pH values represent lower acidity. Following the first dose, the mean 24-hour gastric pH value on Day 1 for vonoprazan was 4.6 as compared to 2.8 for lansoprazole. The least squares mean pH greater than 4 HTR on Day 1 for vonoprazan was 62.2% as compared to 23.2% for lansoprazole. The greater gastric acid inhibition was maintained after seven days of once daily dosing. The mean 24-hour pH value on Day 7 for vonoprazan was 5.9 as compared to 3.8 for lansoprazole. The least squares mean pHgreater than4 HTR on Day 7 was 86.8% for vonoprazan as compared to 42.1% for lansoprazole.

08:22 EDT FuelCell releases comments on the signing of Senate Bill 155 in California - FuelCell Energy announce the company "applauds California Governor Gavin Newsom on the signing of Senate Bill 155, which includes a two-year extension of the Fuel Cell Net Energy Metering program, known as Fuel Cell NEM. This bill represents an enormous investment in alleviating the effects of climate change in California through environmental protection, extreme heat mitigation, coastal restoration, and wildfire prevention... Extending the Fuel Cell NEM program will provide California customers certainty that investing in and deploying clean baseload alternative energy sources is in the best interest of the state as a whole and consistent with the state's environmental objectives," the company said. "Fuel Cell NEM allows businesses to invest their own private capital in clean, firm technology that reduces their energy consumption and lowers their environmental footprint by reducing Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, while the State benefits from maintaining and creating new jobs, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, criteria air pollutants and water use without any direct incentives," said Jason Few, President and Chief Executive Officer, FuelCell Energy. "Again, we thank Governor Newsom and the California Legislature for supporting energy and climate policy that furthers the State's ambition for reliable baseload power, clean energy investments, job creation and environmental protection."

08:20 EDT SeqLL announces publication of new blood-based RNA sequencing method - SeqLL announced the peer-reviewed publication of a new blood-based RNA Sequencing method to detect Coronary Artery Disease powered by SeqLL's tSMS platform in the September issue of BMC Medical Genomics. The study, "RNA Sequencing of Blood in Coronary Artery Disease: Involvement of Regulatory T-cell Imbalance", was led by Timothy McCaffery, PhD, Professor of Medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, with support from a public-private relationship with SeqLL, and support from the St. Laurent Institute and True Bearing Diagnostics, included researchers and physicians from GW as well as Inova Health System of Northern Virginia. Diagnosis of CAD is typically based on coronary angiography, an imaging process used to detect restricted blood flow in the heart's major arteries. Up to 40% of the 1 million cardiac catheterizations performed in the U.S., however, have a "no blockage" test result, despite clinical indications. To improve diagnostic options, Dr. McCaffrey's study used a cutting-edge sequencing method to identify an RNA signature in the whole blood of CAD patients who had received diagnoses via angiographies. "Using SeqLL's tSMS platform, our team was able to sequence millions of RNA strands per patient at single molecule resolution. This allowed us to reproducibly identify specific RNA transcripts that were altered in patients with coronary disease," Dr. McCaffrey said. He added that "cardiologists were able to collect the blood while the patients underwent angiographic imaging of their arteries." Between two cohorts, one at GW and one at Inova, Dr. McCaffrey and the research team pinpointed new biomarkers from the identified genes that could lend insight into the cause of CAD. For example, they determined that patients with atherosclerosis had reduced activity of their regulatory T-cells, or suppressor T-cells.

08:18 EDT Kratos Defense $13.2M in C5ISR System Product awards - Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced that its Command, Control, Communication, Computing, Combat System, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, or C5ISR, Business recently received approximately $13.2M in program awards, including for a large U.S. National Security Program. Kratos C5ISR business provides specialized manufacturing, products and solutions for critical National Security priorities and programs, including Nuclear Deterrence, Missile Defense, Radar, High Power Directed Energy, Unmanned Aerial Drone System, Space and Satellite Communication and CBRNE. Work under these recent contract awards will be performed at secure Kratos manufacturing and customer facilities. Tom Mills, President of Kratos C5ISR Division, said, "Our entire organization is focused on providing the highest quality products, systems and solutions in support of United States National Security, the Warfighter and their Mission, delivering on schedule and on budget. We are honored to have been chosen to support these priority National Security programs."

08:17 EDT MGM Resorts to acquire operations of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas for $1.625B - MGM Resorts International (MGM) announced that the company has entered into a definitive agreement with Blackstone (BX) to acquire the operations of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas for cash consideration of $1.625B, subject to customary working capital adjustments. The purchase price represents a multiple of approximately eight times adjusted EBITDA, inclusive of expected operational synergies and identified revenue growth opportunities. Following the close of the transaction, MGM Resorts will enter into a 30-year lease agreement, with three 10-year renewal options, with a partnership among Stonepeak Partners, Cherng Family Trust and Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, which will acquire The Cosmopolitan's real estate assets. MGM Resorts will pay an initial annual rent of $200M, escalating annually at 2% for the first 15 years and the greater of 2% or the CPI increase (capped at 3%) thereafter. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2022, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

08:15 EDT Marimed appoints Steve West as VP, investor relations - MariMed announced the appointment of Steve West as Vice President, Investor Relations. Prior to joining MariMed, West led investor relations at industry-leading companies, including cannabis and hemp products company Neptune Wellness Solutions, cannabis multi-state operator Acreage Holdings, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Panera Bread Company.

08:14 EDT Ensysce Biosciences announces $15M convertible note financing - Ensysce Biosciences announced that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with institutional investors in the form of senior secured convertible notes and warrants exercisable for Ensysce common stock in a private placement for an aggregate investment of $15 million. An initial funding by the Investors occurred on September 24, 2021, for $5 million prior to fees and offering expenses. The Notes are convertible into shares of Ensysce common stock at a conversion price of $5.87, a 30% premium to the base price set at the time of the initial closing. The Notes have a maturity date of 21 months from the applicable closing date and will bear interest from date of issuance at 5.0% per annum, with monthly principal payments in cash or common stock beginning approximately 90 days after the initial closing. The Notes were issued with an original discount of six percent. The Warrants have the right to purchase up to 361,158 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $7.63, a 30% premium to the conversion price. The Warrants are exercisable for five years following the date of issuance. The total gross proceeds from the issuance of the Notes pursuant to the securities purchase agreement, expected to be $15 million before fees and expenses, will be used for general working capital purposes. At the first closing, $5 million of funding was secured. The second closing is expected to occur upon satisfaction of certain conditions, at which time the Company will issue to the institutional investors referenced above, Notes in the aggregate principal amount of $10.6 million for an aggregate purchase price of $10 million and Warrants to purchase 722,317 shares of the Company's common stock at an exercise price of $7.63.

08:12 EDT Rafael announces APOLLO613 Phase I/II trial of CPI-613 begins enrollment - Rafael Pharmaceuticals announced that the Phase 1 clinical trial of CPI-613 in combination with hydroxychloroquine in patients with clear cell sarcoma is open for enrollment. The clinical trial will begin enrolling patients at City of Hope in Duarte, California, with other sites across the country to quickly follow. "Clear cell sarcoma is truly one of the most challenging sarcomas to treat, as it often spreads quickly to other parts of the body and prognosis is generally poor," said Sanjeev Luther, President and CEO of Rafael Pharmaceuticals. "The opening of this trial at City of Hope and several other sites across the country has the potential to grant a population with significant unmet medical needs a promising new treatment option."

08:11 EDT Enphase Energy announces expansion into Brazil - Enphase Energy announced the company has entered the Brazilian solar market with the introduction of its IQ 7+ microinverters. Enphase will start shipping its IQ 7+ microinverters for residential and small commercial installers across Brazil starting in October 2021. The Enphase microinverter systems will be outfitted with Enphase Envoy communications gateways, which connect an Enphase-based solar system to the Enphase Enlighten monitoring platform and helps make per-panel energy monitoring and insights for operations and maintenance easy. "Our entry into Brazil's rapidly growing solar market is very exciting," said Marco Krapels, vice president, market expansion at Enphase Energy. "Enphase microinverter systems feature unparalleled safety, simplicity and reliability, which enable residential and small commercial installers to spend less time installing and servicing systems and more time providing a superior customer experience, including 24/7 customer support. In addition, we are working with financing partners in Brazil like Solfacil to help expand access to Enphase products."

08:10 EDT MicroLab expands portfolio of SMART passives system - Wireless Telecom Group announced its Microlab brand has expanded the portfolio of products using its innovative, patent pending SMART capabilities. The first Microlab SMART product, the SMART Coupler, won the 2020 Connected Real Estate Tech Award for Best In-Building Public Safety Solution. That same technology and capability are now being deployed in two new SMART couplers. Along with the new SMART couplers, Microlab is introducing a series of DC Pass Tappers that enable network designers to more cost-effectively and flexibly deploy SMART technology. The new SMART couplers are narrowband devices, that provide the same functionality as the original SMART couplers but are now public-safety-band specific and more economical for larger deployments where a greater number of couplers are required. The DC Pass tappers cover 137 MHz - 960 MHz. Combined with the existing portfolio of SMART Couplers and the head-end SMART Gateway, the new SMART Couplers and DC Pass Tappers provide active diagnostic tools for system monitoring with failure detection and isolation capabilities, ensuring Public Safety DAS owners can depend on the operation of their critical communication systems.

08:09 EDT Cyclo Therapeutics appoints Lise Lund Kjems as chief medical officer - Cyclo Therapeutics announced the appointment of Lise Lund Kjems as chief medical officer. Gerald Cox who has served as the company's acting chief medical officer in a consultant role since March, has been appointed to the company's scientific advisory board, or SAB. Kjems is a medical executive with over 20 years of preclinical and clinical development experience.

08:08 EDT Athenex announces phased European launch of Klisyri - Athenex announced that its partner, Almirall, has launched Klisyri in Germany and the UK. Klisyri received approval by the European Commission and the UK Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in July and August of 2021, respectively, for the topical treatment of actinic keratosis of the face and scalp in adults. Tirbanibulin is a novel, topical first-in-class microtubule inhibitor with a selective antiproliferative mechanism of action that we believe represents a significant step forward in the treatment of AK due to its short treatment protocol, proven efficacy, and safety profile. Under the terms of the license agreement with Almirall, Athenex is eligible to receive up to $45M in milestone payments associated with launch and expansion into additional indications. The Company is also eligible to receive additional sales-related milestone payments. The terms of agreement included tiered royalties payable to Athenex starting at 15%, based on annual net sales. Athenex also has strategic partnerships for tirbanibulin with Seqirus Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of CSL Limited in Australia and New Zealand, PharmaEssentia for Japan and Taiwan, and Xiangxue Pharmaceuticals in China.

08:06 EDT TTEC Holdings raises semi-annual dividend 9.3% to 47c per share - TTEC Holdings announced that on September 22, its Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of 47c per common share to be paid on October 22 to shareholders of record as of October 8. This semi-annual dividend represents a 9.3% increase over the dividend paid in April 2021 and 17.5% increase over the dividend paid in October 2020.

08:05 EDT Cidara Therapeutics to present new Rezafungin data at IDWeek 2021 - Cidara Therapeutics announced that it will present new clinical and non-clinical data in three on-demand poster presentations, including data on rezafungin clinical safety and pharmacokinetics in people with hepatic impairment, at IDWeek taking place virtually from September 29-October 3, 2021. Rezafungin is a novel once-weekly echinocandin currently being studied in Phase 3 trials for the treatment and prevention of serious fungal infections, including in critically ill patients. Cidara expects to announce top-line data from its Phase 3 ReSTORE trial by the end of 2021 and anticipates filing a New Drug Application in the U.S. and similar regulatory filings outside the U.S. in mid-2022.

08:05 EDT Tivity Health announces $100M share repurchase program - Tivity Health announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a $100M share repurchase program.

08:04 EDT Stem Holdings announces license to open distribution hub in Mendota, California - Stem Holdings announced that it has received a non-storefront license to open a distribution hub in Mendota, located in the county of Fresno, enabling it to provide better service to consumers with its Budee e-commerce platform in four key counties in Northern California, home to 2.3 million residents. This expansion is expected to drive topline sales with greater efficiency, as the Company anticipates savings of up to $1 million in operating expenses including, but not limited to, gross receipt taxes over the next eighteen months. The Mendota facility will have a fixed tax rate that is 3% lower than the Company's Oakland facility, representing approximately 25% of the total savings afforded by this facility. In October 2021, the Company plans for the Mendota hub to become operational through a new 2,000 square foot facility, which will be dedicated to delivery service in 60 minutes or less. The city of Fresno is planning to license up to 21 retail dispensaries, the first since legalization, by the end of this year. Budee maintains its unique position as a legal delivery service already reaching 92% of California's population and is poised to service the Fresno market.

08:03 EDT Twist appoints Dennis Cho as chief ethics and compliance officer - Twist Bioscience (TWST) announced the appointment of Dennis Cho as senior vice president, general counsel and chief ethics and compliance officer. Cho brings more than 25 years of corporate legal experience, most of which has been in the biotech industry. Cho was most recently assistant general counsel at CytomX Therapeutics (CYTX), where he was department head for all deals and contracts as well as day-to-day lead on compliance and numerous other legal subject matters.

08:03 EDT Victory Capital approves plan to eliminate Dual-class share structure - Victory Capital Holdings announced that its Board of Directors has approved amendments to its corporate charter and bylaws to eliminate the Company's dual-class share structure. The charter amendment is subject to shareholder approval at a Special Meeting of Stockholders scheduled for November 19. David Brown, Chairman and CEO of Victory Capital, said, "We believe all shareholders will benefit from the elimination of the dual-class share structure by aligning voting rights with the economic interests of all shareholders. Simplifying the Company's capital structure such that all shareholders of the Company own a single class of common stock will also reduce the cost and complexity associated with the Company's current capital structure. Furthermore, this change is likely to enhance index eligibility for our shares and broaden investor appeal to both active and passive investors, which may expand the Company's shareholder base." Currently, the Company has two classes of common stock: Class A common stock and Class B common stock. The rights of the holders of Class A and Class B shares are identical, except voting and conversion rights. Each Class A share is entitled to one vote, and each Class B share is entitled to ten votes. The Class B shares are currently convertible at any time, at the option of the holder, into one Class A share. The Company will file a preliminary proxy statement for a special meeting of stockholders to be held on November 19, 2021. The largest holders of the Company's Class B shares, as well as the Company's Employee Shareholders Committee, which collectively control a majority of the Company's voting power, have indicated their intent to vote in favor of the proposal eliminating the dual-class share structure. Upon approval of the charter amendment, each Class B share would convert into one Class A share.

08:01 EDT Kraton to be acquired by DL Chemical Co. in $2.5B transaction

07:55 EDT Altamira Therapeutics provides update on Bentrio program - Altamira Therapeutics provided a business update on Bentrio , its nasal spray for protection against airborne viruses and allergens. Bentrio was launched first in Germany under CE mark in late July and subsequently also in Austria. During the initial launch stage, the nasal spray product has been marketed solely through leading online pharmacies, supported by digital campaigns combined with classic instruments. The Bentrio.com website is currently receiving approximately 2,500 visitors per day in Germany, and traffic is continuing to grow. Promotional activities are being progressively expanded to further European countries. In the next phase of the European launch of Bentrio starting in Q4 , the Company will also target traditional 'brick-and-mortar' pharmacy stores. With the goal of accessing the large potential U.S. market for Bentrio the Company has recently submitted a 510 premarket notification to the FDA. The claimed use for Bentrio is the treatment of hay fever and allergy sufferers by promoting alleviation of mild allergic symptoms triggered by the inhalation of various airborne allergens. These include indoor and outdoor environmental pollens, house dust, animal hair and dust mites. Once cleared, the Company anticipates partnering Bentrio for the U.S. market rather than commercializing it there on its own. Altamira also sees significant business development opportunities for Bentrio in international markets. In that regard, the Company recently executed letters of understanding with distributors in two key Southeast Asian countries, with national registrations being initiated. Based on a growing number of leads and strong interest in the product, Altamira expects to expand the geographic footprint for Bentrio rapidly through agreements with additional distributors.

07:38 EDT iBio continues to develop IBIO-400 Classical Swine Fever Vaccine - In July 2021, the Company reported robust, antigen-specific, memory T-cell responses from preclinical studies of IBIO-202. In September 2021, iBio submitted a pre-IND package for IBIO-202 with the expectation that a nucleocapsid-based protein subunit vaccine could address several unmet needs that remain with first-generation vaccines targeting the spike protein. The Company is continuing to develop its Classical Swine Fever Vaccine, IBIO-400, while concurrently seeking regulatory clearances for the animal health markets.

07:36 EDT Crinetics to present parathyroid receptor antagonist program at ASBMR meeting - Crinetics Pharmaceuticals announced its intent to develop a nonpeptide oral parathyroid hormone, or PTH, receptor antagonist for the treatment of hypercalcemia associated with primary hyperparathyroidism, or HPT, and other diseases of PTH receptor type 1, or PTHR1, over-activation. Details of the preclinical efforts supporting this newly disclosed program will be presented in a late-breaking poster at the upcoming annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, or ASBMR, which is being held October 1-4, 2021. "Like all our product candidates, our family of novel PTHR1 antagonists are small molecules generated through our in-house discovery efforts. They are designed to specifically block PTHR1, which positions them to potentially address all conditions of excess PTH, whether it's primary hyperparathyroidism due to parathyroid tumors or hyperplasia; secondary hyperparathyroidism due to chronic kidney disease; or malignancy-associated hypercalcemia," stated R. Scott Struthers, Ph.D., founder and chief executive officer at Crinetics. "This is our first presentation at ASBMR, and I am eager to discuss our new program with this scientific community. It represents an important expansion of our pipeline and an opportunity to broaden the reach of our drug development efforts to multiple large patient populations with high unmet need."

07:35 EDT iBio expects cash to fund operations through 1Q23 - iBio had $97.0 million in cash, marketable securities, and investments in debt securities as of June 30, 2021. iBio used $30.1 million in net cash for operating activities in fiscal 2021 versus net cash used in operating activities of $13.3 million in 2020. Based on current plans, iBio believes the current cash position is sufficient to fund operations through the first calendar quarter of 2023.

07:32 EDT Navidea appoints Michel Mikhail Ph.D as Chief Regulatory Officer - Navidea Biopharmaceuticals announced the appointment of Michel Mikhail, Ph.D. as Chief Regulatory Officer of Navidea, effective October 1. Dr. Mikhail has more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and a track record of achievement in R&D and international regulatory affairs at large multinational research-based pharmaceutical companies. Prior to joining Navidea, Dr. Mikhail worked in global regulatory consulting for various pharmaceutical and biotech companies from January 2016 through September 2021.

07:20 EDT Microbix Biosystems presenting product results at AACC - Microbix Biosystems announces that it has been invited to present about the performance of its COVID-19 test quality assessment products at "AACC" the annual scientific meeting & clinical laboratory exposition of the American Association of Clinical Chemistry, taking place in live and virtual formats from Atlanta, GA, September 26-30, 2021. The abstract poster presentation is titled "Advanced SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern whole genome materials for use as verification, external quality assessment and prospective quality control samples." It reviews the performance of Microbix's novel, innovative, and proprietary PROCEEDx FLOQ branded QAPs, formatted on Copan FLOQ Swabs and room-temperature stable, for use to help verify the performance of nucleic acid amplification tests that detect SARS-CoV-2 and variants of concern. Results reported relate to the B.1.1.7, B.1.351, P.1, and WT variants, formerly known as the UK, South African, Brazilian, and Wuhan strains. The results demonstrate that these Microbix QAPs are compatible with over 20 widely-used COVID-19 NAATs, including those that can detect and differentiate VOCs. Such results continue to demonstrate how Microbix is addressing the need for workflow controls to effectively support the quality objectives of testing for SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, as for all forms of testing relating to the pandemic. The overall Microbix QAPs portfolio now comprises more than 70 distinct products across multiple categories of infectious diseases, test types, and test formats. The abstract presentations were co-authored by ten members of Microbix's product development, operating, and customer support teams, led by Pavel Zhelev, Director of Product Management, and Dr. Amer Alagic, Director of R&D.

07:16 EDT ADC Therapeutics doses first patient in ADCT-901 trial - ADC Therapeutics announced the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating ADCT-901, targeting kidney associated antigen 1 in patients with selected advanced solid tumors with high unmet medical needs.

07:14 EDT CareDx presents latest data on AlloSeq portfolio at ASHI 2021 - CareDx announced that it will share the latest data on AlloSeq Tx17 and AlloSeq HCT at the 47th annual meeting of The American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics, or ASHI. CareDx continues a tradition of leading scientific research at ASHI 2021 with 8 scientific presentations or posters featuring AlloSeq HCT and AlloSeq Tx17 hybrid-capture technology: Gene copy number estimation from hybrid capture assays detect the likelihood of an MHC haplotype with a duplicated MHC beta block; "The complex role of mica residue 129 dimorphism in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation;" "Leukemia relapse with greater than99% donor t cells and newly emerging recipient myeloid cells---immune escape;" "Detection of a complex novel alleles by gene target enrichment with hybrid capture;" "HLA-G, -H typing provides insights into MHC alpha block diversity: Implications for unrelated HCT, MHC disease association and MHC evolution;" "Matching across the blocks: HLA Class 1b and MICA/MICB genotyping reveal additional MHC mismatches in conventionally HLA matched HCT donor/recipient pairs;" "Homozygous or heterozygous, that is the question;" and "Rare genetic alterations in HLA genes and their impact on clinical HLA typing." "At CareDx, we are proud to drive continued innovation and development in the transplant space. AlloSeq HCT is a transformative solution in chimerism testing, while AlloSeq Tx17 has changed the HLA typing landscape with our hybrid capture technology and is now a leading NGS solution for HLA laboratories," said Reg Seeto, CEO at CareDx. "We are glad to continue supporting ASHI in delivering new solutions and data that can improve transplant patient care."

07:13 EDT Color Star Technology unit poised to launch sports-related NFT products - Color Star Technology announces that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Color China, is ready to launch sports-related NFT products in October this year. As an entertainment technology company, Color Star will establish new collaborations with world renowned athletes in the field of entertainment. Color Star's global celebrity interactive platform, Color Star APP, has signed cooperation agreements with many global athletes such as Shaquille O'Neal and David Villa, who will be featured on the Color Star platform and available to interact with users globally. The Company is also cooperating with leading athletes from different sports fields to launch NFT products related to those athletes. The first set of products will include jerseys and Tourbillon watches designed by the athletes and exclusive training videos, among others. Color Star believes the creation of these celebrity products will continue to contribute to the Company's copyright capacities.

07:12 EDT MarketAxess extends global fixed income trading network to China's Bond Market - MarketAxess announced the launch of a new trading channel for its global investors to access the China Interbank Bond Market, CIBM. Access is via the connection between CFETS and MKTX under the Bond Connect and CIBM Direct schemes, in partnership with China Foreign Exchange Trade System, or CFETS. and Bond Connect Company Limited, or BCCL. "This launch is the result of a close partnership between MarketAxess and CFETS that aims to enhance investor experience in the China interbank market," said Rick McVey, Chairman and CEO of MarketAxess. "I'm delighted that together we're able to bring greater, more diverse global investor participation to the $15trn onshore bond market, and I'm excited to think of the many opportunities for collaboration that lie ahead." MarketAxess clients will be able to trade directly with onshore market makers via CFETS, using MarketAxess trading protocols such as Request-for-Quote and list trading functionality. The addition of the China interbank market extends MarketAxess' leading global fixed income trading coverage, which reached $669 billion in total credit trading volume in the second quarter. It also further enhances the firm's leadership in emerging markets debt, which currently covers over 27 local-currency bond markets and more than 1,800 trading participants through the Open Trading all-to-all ecosystem.

07:11 EDT Bristol-Myers announces FDA acceptance of Opdivo sBLAs - Bristol Myers announced that the FDA has accepted the supplemental biologics license applications, or sBLA, for both Opdivo in combination with Yervoy and Opdivo in combination with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy as first-line treatments for adult patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, or ESCC, based on results from the CheckMate -648 trial. The FDA assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act goal date of May 28, 2022.

07:10 EDT Orthofix announces 60,000 + M6-C artificial cervical discs implanted worldwide - Orthofix Medical announced that more than 60,000 M6-C artificial cervical discs have been implanted worldwide. The implant is a next-generation artificial disc designed to mimic the natural motion of a native disc. Developed to replace an intervertebral disc damaged by cervical disc degeneration, the M6-C disc is indicated as an alternative to cervical fusion. First approved for distribution under the CE Mark in the European Union and other international geographies, the M6-C disc received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in 2019. The M6-C artificial cervical disc is continuing to establish a market-leading position globally with more than 60,000 devices implanted worldwide," said Orthofix President of Global Spine Kevin Kenny. "We are pleased to see the continued adoption of this state-of-the-art technology as our international success translates into the U.S. market." The M6-C disc is comprised of an artificial visco-elastic nucleus and fiber annulus. Like a natural disc, this unique construct allows for shock absorption at the implanted level and provides a controlled range of motion as the spine bends and translates in multiple planes. The M6-C disc is the only such device available in the U.S. with these features.

07:10 EDT Red Cat subsidiary receives five-year contract with NASA - Red Cat Holdings announces its subsidiary, Skypersonic, has been awarded a five-year contract with NASA to provide drone and rover software, hardware and support for its Simulated Mars mission.

07:09 EDT Else Nutrition to launch nutrition products in Canada - ELSE NUTRITION announces that it has developed a wide range of Canada-compliant products, set to launch in Q1 2022. The product range will include baby cereals for 6+ months, a toddler nutrition product, and a line of Children's complete nutrition products. The Canada-compliant offerings are slated to launch online on Else's e-store, as well as other Canadian online retailers and brick and mortar chains.

07:08 EDT PyroGenesis receives new US patent for destruction of ozone depleting substances - PyroGenesis Canada announces today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a Notice of Allowance for U.S. Patent No. 11116069, entitled, "High power DC non transferred steam plasma torch system". This new patent covers the company's high power DC steam plasma torch system, and relates to a steam plasma torch assembly wherein superheated steam is used as the main plasma forming gas, thereby resulting in a highly reactive steam plasma plume. The system is then used to destroy ozone depleting substances. This high-power steam torch system is used in PyroGenesis' SPARC technology, a patented PyroGenesis process designed to destroy ozone depleting substances such as end-of-life refrigerants like CFCs, HCFs, and HFCs, which have high global warming potential. "This patent represents a key milestone as we roll out our SPARC technology; a technology which is specifically geared to reducing ozone depleting substances," said P. Pascali, CEO and Chair of PyroGenesis. "Our system has the potential to reduce EOL refrigerants in a significant and efficient manner while at the same time generating a very low carbon footprint. This patent will provide intellectual property coverage and help us secure a leading position as we move forward in commercializing our SPARC technology worldwide."

07:06 EDT Enochian Biosciences completes FDA Pre-IND process for ENOB-HB-01 - Enochian BioSciences announced the completion of a Pre-Investigational New Drug process following receipt of written comments from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Office of Tissues and Advanced Therapies. Globally, there are approximately 350 million people living with chronic liver disease due to HBV, and nearly 1 million people die each year from chronic hepatitis B. ENOB-HB-01 is a novel approach to potentially eliminate HBV-infected liver cells with an innovative "Hijack RNA" strategy that co-opts the virus' machinery to induce the death of infected cells rather than reproducing and causing more infection and liver disease. Promising results from animal studies have been presented at scientific meetings by Enochian BioSciences Inventor and Co-Founder, Dr. Serhat Gumrukcu. "We considered the written response to be very useful and important, providing a clear path to pursuing what we hope will be a successful IND application in the medium-term," said Dr. Mark Dybul, CEO of Enochian BioSciences. "I want to thank the experts from FDA CBER OTAT for their detailed and helpful insights. We are particularly encouraged because Hijack RNA is a platform that we are developing for other infectious diseases. For example, an inhaled product to potentially treat or prevent any variant of SARS-CoV, including the cause of COVID-19, and any variant of influenza as well as a potential treatment or cure of HIV. The information provided in the FDA's written comments also help us to accelerate the development of those potential products."

07:06 EDT Ritchie Bros. to acquire SmartEquip for $175M - Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers and SmartEquip announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Ritchie Bros. will acquire SmartEquip for approximately $175M. SmartEquip is a multi-manufacturer platform that provides customers with real-time service and diagnostic support, dynamically customized, via serial number, to each asset in their fleet, as well as enabling the electronic procurement of parts from OEMs and their dealers. The company supports approximately $1B in annual transaction volume with more than 600 OEM brands, on behalf of fleet locations across North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. SmartEquip has 60 employees and will continue to operate as a standalone business and maintain its physical presence in Norwalk, CT for the foreseeable future.

07:05 EDT Calavo Growers names Graciela Montgomery Chief Human Resources Officer - Calavo Growers announced that Graciela Montgomery will join the company as its first Chief Human Resources Officer, effective October 11, 2021. In this role, Montgomery will oversee human resources, training, talent development and recruitment for Calavo, which has nearly 4,000 employees across the U.S. and in Mexico. Prior to joining Calavo, Montgomery led a consultancy specializing in the areas of leadership, organizational design, cultural transformation and change management.

07:03 EDT Ashland provides updated outlook for FY21 results - Ashland Global Holdings provided an update for preliminary fiscal 2021 financial results. In general, economic recovery in the U.S. and other regions of the world is driving strong demand for most products in the company's Life Sciences, Personal Care and Household, Specialty Additives and Performance Adhesives end markets. However, continued challenges in shipping, logistics and packaging procurement are inhibiting the company's ability to meet strong overall customer demand. The impact of all these factors is expected to be reflected in the company's financial results during the fiscal-fourth quarter. Specifically, accounting for on-time freight and logistics unreliability over the past few months, Ashland now anticipates fiscal year Adjusted EBITDA could be up to $10M below the low-end of the previously communicated range of $570M-$590M. "We are encouraged by the improving demand in each of our segments," said Guillermo Novo, chairman and chief executive officer, Ashland. "As we reported early last quarter, supply-chain and logistics constraints and related costs continue to be an issue. I am pleased with the pricing and operating discipline demonstrated by our business teams to maintain margins in the face of continued challenges. While we are adjusting our outlook for earnings in the fiscal year due to these external factors, I continue to be pleased by the resilience of Ashland's businesses and our prospects for fiscal year 2022 and beyond."

07:02 EDT Ucommune International to acquire 60% equity stake in Beijing Kuanneng - Ucommune International announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Beijing Zerone Management & Consulting Company Ltd., an office space management services provider in China, entered into an agreement to acquire a 60% equity interest in Beijing Kuanneng Technology Co., Ltd. on September 1. Ucommune started to consolidate the financial statements of Beijing Kuanneng into its financial statements on the same day. Beijing Kuanneng owns and operates the Japanese culinary restaurant brand "Xiao Sushi," with a primary geographic concentration in the Beijing area. The "Xiao Sushi" brand has achieved substantial success since it was launched in 2014. With exquisite storefronts, fresh ingredients, and affordable pricing, "Xiao Sushi" has earned an excellent reputation as well as hundreds and thousands of loyal customers. Moreover, owing to its widespread popularity, "Xiao Sushi" has successfully expanded to establish 32 stores across China. "Xiao Sushi" generated revenues of approximately RMB22.1M in 2020 and has already generated revenues of approximately RMB22M in the first half of 2021.

06:55 EDT Dollar General announces planned expansion into Idaho - Dollar General announced its planned expansion into Idaho, increasing the retailer's presence into its 47th state. Construction is underway on N. Old Highway 95 in Athol for the store, which is currently scheduled to open by spring 2022.

06:51 EDT Tyme Technologies says first patient dosed in Phase II OASIS trial - Tyme Technologies announced that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase II OASIS trial in patients with metastatic hormone receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative breast cancer who previously received a CDK4/6 inhibitor regimen being conducted by Georgetown University at several MedStar Health hospitals.

06:46 EDT Merck says Phase 3 KEYNOTE-394 trial met primary endpoint of OS - Merck announced that the Phase 3 KEYNOTE-394 trial investigating KEYTRUDA, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, in Asian patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma previously treated with sorafenib met its primary endpoint of overall survival. The study found that treatment with KEYTRUDA plus best supportive care resulted in a statistically significant improvement in OS compared with placebo plus best supportive care. KEYNOTE-394 also met its key secondary endpoints of progression-free survival and objective response rate, with statistically significant improvements for KEYTRUDA compared with placebo. No new safety signals were observed. These results will be presented at an upcoming medical meeting.

06:40 EDT Aspen Group director Douglas Kass buys 32K share of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Aspen Group disclosed that board member Douglas Kass bought 32K shares of common stock on September 22nd in a total transaction size of $172K, boosting his stake by about 62%. Shares of Aspen Group are up 11.4% at $5.67 per share in early pre-market trading.

06:33 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought about 805K shares of Invitae on Friday

06:31 EDT Babcock & Wilcox unit awarded $35M contract - Babcock & Wilcox announced that its B&W Renewable segment has been awarded a contract for more than $35M by Greenland's national waste management company, ESANI A/S, to supply and install advanced combustion, emissions control and related equipment for its new municipal waste-to-energy facilities. The facilities, to be built in the cities of Nuuk and Sisimiut, will provide district heating for residents and businesses while also eliminating methane - a greenhouse gas created by waste as it decomposes in landfills. In addition to using municipal waste, the facilities also will process waste recovered from existing landfills, reducing future methane emissions from those landfills. B&W Renewable's technology will provide the ability to process all of Greenland's municipal waste.

06:10 EDT Aslan Pharmaceuticals reports 'positive' results from Phase 1 study of ASLAN004 - ASLAN Pharmaceuticals announced positive topline data from its randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 8-week, multiple-ascending-dose Phase 1 study of ASLAN004 for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. ASLAN004, a potential first-in-class monoclonal antibody that targets the IL-13 receptor, was shown to be well tolerated across all doses. Data from the study conclusively establishes proof of concept, and supports the potential of ASLAN004 as a differentiated, novel treatment for AD. In March 2021, ASLAN announced interim data from three dose escalation cohorts, then continued to enroll and treat an additional 27 patients in an expansion cohort at the highest dose (600mg). The results announced today compare results from all patients receiving 600mg to all receiving placebo. The Intent to Treat population comprised patients from 10 sites and represented all patients dosed excluding one patient that discontinued from the study prematurely due to COVID-19 restrictions. ASLAN004 achieved a statistically significant improvement versus placebo in the primary efficacy endpoint of percent change from baseline in the Eczema Area Severity Index, and also showed significant improvements in other key efficacy endpoints: EASI-50, EASI-75, peak pruritus and the Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure.

06:07 EDT PyroGenesis names Andre Mainella as CFO, succeeding Ben Simo - PyroGenesis Canada is pleased to announce today the appointment of Andre Mainella, as CFO of the company. Mainella will replace Ben Simo, who no longer works for the company. Mainella has more than 20 years of experience in senior financial positions in various industries including mining, manufacturing and distribution. As senior audit manager at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton for several years, he has worked on a varied list of audit and non-audit mandates for private and publicly traded companies.

06:03 EDT Syndax, Incyte enter collaboration and license agreement for axatilimab - Syndax (SNDX) and Incyte (INCY) announced that they have entered into an exclusive worldwide collaboration and license agreement to develop and commercialize axatilimab, Syndax's anti-CSF-1R monoclonal antibody. Under the terms of the agreement, Incyte will lead global commercial activities for axatilimab across all indications. The companies will participate in a 50/50 profit share in the U.S., and Syndax will receive double-digit royalties on sales outside of the U.S. Syndax will retain the option to co-promote axatilimab for any approved indications in the U.S. In connection with the agreement, Syndax will receive an upfront payment of $117M plus a $35M equity investment, which will be purchased at $24.62 per share, a 30% premium to the volume weighted average price over the 10 days prior to September 24, 2021. Syndax will also be eligible to receive up to an additional $450M in potential regulatory, development and commercial milestone payments. The companies will share development costs associated with global and U.S.-specific trials for all agreed upon trials at a rate of 55% for Incyte and 45% for Syndax, with Incyte responsible for 100% of future development costs for trials that are specific to ex-U.S. countries. Syndax will fund the initial development of axatilimab in IPF and Incyte will have the option to co-fund late-stage development for this indication. The agreement between Syndax and Incyte, including the upfront payment and equity investment, is subject to clearance by the U.S. antitrust authorities under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act and will become effective as soon as these conditions have been met.

05:38 EDT Miniso acquires remaining stake in JV for headquarters building for RMB 700.4M - Miniso announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with YGF MC, a company jointly controlled by the company's controlling shareholders, Guofu Ye and Yunyun Yang, to acquire the remaining 80% equity stake in YGF Investment, a joint venture between YGF MC and the company to establish Miniso's new headquarters building. After closing of the proposed purchase, the company will hold 100% equity interests in YGF Investment and will start to consolidate the financial results of YGF Investment into the company's financial statements. The transaction has been approved by the audit committee and the board of directors of the Company. The total consideration of this transaction is estimated to be approximately RMB 700.4M, representing the lower of the actual investment amount by YGF MC as of August 31 and the appraisal value of the equity interests confirmed by a third-party valuation firm, deducted by the estimated accumulative loss of YGF Investment that YGF MC should bear up to the closing of this transaction. Closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is estimated to take place in the second quarter of the company's 2022 fiscal year. In January, YGF Investment's PRC subsidiary acquired land use right of a parcel of land in Guangzhou for approximately RMB 1.78B, which shall be paid by two equal installments. As of the date of this press release, the first installment has been paid. This parcel of land is located in the Pazhou Internet Innovation Zone, which is at the center of Guangzhou's future CBD area where many large new-economy companies in China have chosen to place their headquarters or regional headquarters. The total investment for the headquarters building project, including the consideration for acquisition of land use right, is estimated to be approximately RMB 2.89B. The company currently intends to support the subsequent capital expenditures of the project with its cash surplus, future cash flows from operating activities and potential bank financing. This new headquarters building, with about 104 thousand square meters in gross floor area, is estimated to be completed by 2025. This investment positions the company well for its future developments in terms of securing office space to accommodate future business expansion, saving long-term operating expenses and providing benefits in potential property appreciation.

05:33 EDT IBM to automate 22 wheat silos across Egypt - IBM, in collaboration with business partner ACME SAICO, announced the automation of 22 wheat silos across Egypt by the end of this year using IBM AI-powered automation software. This supports the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade's plans to digitize the wheat supply chain and implement governance systems on the country's strategic stock. The Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade is a ministry focused on achieving food security for Egypt. In line with the national plan for digital transformation, the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade represented by the Egyptian Holding Company for Silos and Storage, or EHCSS, selected IBM and ACME SAICO to create a platform powered by IBM's AI-powered automation software in a hybrid cloud environment. Using IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation and IBM Cloud Pak for Integration, the new solution will allow full automation and governance of all the steps of shipping, transport, storage, and supply of the wheat silos. Through this advanced technology, the automated platform is engineered to collect data from different sensors that are embedded in the silos. These sensors will send near real-time quantitative analytics of the wheat supply and stock status to the main platform at the Ministry of Supply. Thus, the EHCSS will be able to monitor and store all information related to the incoming shipments to maintain quality standards, report accurate views of the stock in silos, as well as address leakage in wheat silos extensively. The system also designed to help to better manage the communication and coordination between different storage points, and mills. As part of the sustainable development strategy of Egypt's vision for 2030, the government is planning to automate 400 silos adding them to the wheat supply chain monitoring system.

05:26 EDT Markel, MCIM announce buy-out transaction for return of NAV in two funds - Markel and Markel CATCo, or MCIM, announced the terms of a buy-out transaction that provides for an accelerated return of substantially all the net asset value, or NAV, in Markel CATCo Reinsurance Fund and CATCo Reinsurance Opportunities Fund to investors in the funds. The funds, which are insurance-linked securities funds managed by Bermuda based MCIM, have been in runoff since June 2019. Affiliates of Markel will be providing funding of up to approximately $150M to facilitate the buy-out transaction of the retrocessional segregated accounts of the funds. In addition, an affiliate of Markel will be providing tail risk cover that will allow for the return of approximately $100M of trapped collateral to investors in the Private Fund's separately structured reinsurance offering, known as the Aquilo Fund segregated account. Under the buy-out transaction, investors in the funds will retain the right to receive any outstanding NAV plus any upside at the end of the applicable run-off period if currently held reserves exceed the amounts necessary to pay ultimate claims. The affiliates of Markel financing the buy-out transaction expect to receive a return of all their funding by the end of the run-off periods. MCIM is extending an opportunity to all investors in the funds to provide a support undertaking with respect to the buy-out transaction on or before October 22 in order to become eligible to receive at closing a fee equal to one percent of the investor's proportional entitlement to the current NAV as at closing. The boards of directors of each of the Private Fund and Public Fund have unanimously determined that the buy-out transaction is in the best interests of each of their respective funds and recommend that their investors return support undertakings by the Early Consent Deadline. Assuming satisfactory investor support for the buy-out transaction is received by the Early Consent Deadline, each of the funds will propose to their respective investors schemes of arrangement under Bermuda law. Pursuant to the schemes and the buy-out transaction, all investors, the CATCo group companies, Markel and each of their related parties, among others, will grant customary mutual releases of all claims related to the buy-out transaction, the CATCo group companies' businesses and the investors' investment in the funds.To support and facilitate the implementation of the buy-out transaction through the schemes, the CATCo group companies have resolved to and will file applications with the Supreme Court of Bermuda for the appointment of Simon Appell of AlixPartners UK and John McKenna of Finance & Risk Services as joint provisional liquidators with limited powers for restructuring purposes only. The buy-out transaction has been prompted as a result of threatened and asserted claims by two small investors that, although the funds believe these claims to be meritless, have disrupted the continued timely and orderly return of additional capital to investors and is being offered to prevent the potential for inequitable treatment of some investors at the expense of all other investors. The appointment of the JPLs will enable the implementation of the buy-out transaction and the approval of the Schemes to best ensure the fair, equitable and accelerated distribution of assets to all investors in the funds.

05:16 EDT InterDigital appoints Rob Stien chief communications and public policy officer - InterDigital announced a new senior executive promotion within its newly combined government affairs, marketing and communications team. Rob Stien has been appointed as the head of the new group as InterDigital's EVP, chief communications and public policy officer. Stien joined InterDigital in 2014.

05:09 EDT Astellas Pharma, Seagen receive approval for Padcev in Japan - Astellas Pharma (ALPMY) and Seagen (SGEN) announced that Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, or MHLW, has approved Padcev for radically unresectable urothelial carcinoma that has progressed after anti-cancer chemotherapy. The new drug application received priority review. Radically unresectable urothelial carcinoma is urothelial cancer that cannot be treated by surgical removal of the urinary bladder or the kidney and the ureter due to tumor growth.